Rating:5⭐️
My reading stars have been aligned lately because There Be Dragons Here by S.L. Rowland is the third stellar book by an undiscovered author in a fantasy genre that I’ve read in a row and I’m just overjoyed to with my reading lucky stars.
This is a side story to the Tales of Aedrea series of four fantasy novels, so I also have an additional world to meander through. I’m so excited.
But let’s start with this book, an amazing emotional journey of friendship, loyalty, and rediscovery of one’s inner fire.
Hilda Rockfall, 182 years old, grandmother, mother, beloved wife. But once, for 70 years she was renowned throughout the world as a Ranger in the Stone & Splendor adventurer group, a tight found family of four beings, who fought and explored together. Until she retired and married, putting that life behind her.
Now a funeral calls her away from home and leaves her the last remaining member of her group.
I love this book and Hilda so much. Her grief in losing her old friend, the journey his last quest takes her on. The stories that she tells, the people who she meets, and the inner person she rediscovers along this tortuous path, so inspiring.
And yes, there be dragons.
So many fantastic stories here. Memorable scenes, heartbreaking moments. And there’s war goats. Amazing!
This is one that’s both shiny and beautiful, a gem to treasure.
I’m highly recommending it.
Beautiful cover and stunning maps!
Cover design by Brent Minehan
Map by CartographyBird Maps
Tales of Aedrea (4 books):
Cursed Cocktails
Sword & Thistle
The Halfling’s Harvest
There Be Dragons Here
Buy link
Blurb
At 182 years old, Hilda Rockfall thought her adventuring days were long behind her.
For over seventy years, she roamed the realm as a ranger with the adventuring party Stone & Splendor—taking quests, slaying beasts, and collecting monster teeth like trophies from the boundless sea to the edge of the wilds. But for the past eight decades, she’s traded her sword for slippers, living the quiet life of a proud grandmother nestled in the mountains, telling tales no one quite believes and baking a mean honey crumble.
That peace is shattered when an old friend—and former party member—passes on and leaves Hilda one final quest: scatter his ashes at a secret location marked on a map they looted back in their glory days.
Hilda figures it’ll be a nice little hike. Maybe a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
But then she opens the map.
And scrawled across the bottom in faded ink are four unsettling words:
There be dragons here.
About the Series: Welcome to the enchanting world of Tales of Aedrea, where small-scale stories, low-stakes adventure, and cozy fantasy come to life within an epic, high-fantasy realm. Each tale can be enjoyed as a standalone novel.
There Be Dragons Here is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy of family dynamics, friendship, and proving that it’s never too late to find adventure. Perfect for fans of The Hobbit and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.
Publisher
Aethervale Publishing
Publication date
January 20, 2026
Language
English
Print length
290 pages
Part of series
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 