The Steadfast One is the D&D campaign we all wish we played

By now, Romantasy is a term that's been entering the vocabulary of many lately, thanks to huge series like The Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

I've been an avid Romantasy reader for a little under a year now, but imagine my excitement when I discovered The Steadfast One by Hannah Levin. This book, which will be releasing on June 17th, takes Romantasy a step further and adds a truly wonderful element to it - Dungeons and Dragons campaign vibes.

I started playing D&D at the age of 10, back when I still lived in Brazil, and my little group and I simply called it "RPG" because it was quite the mouthful for non-English speaking kids to say Dungeons and Dragons. But anyway, I digress. I've been playing the game for over half my life, and when I started flipping the pages of The Steadfast One, I became absolutely giddy.

Before I continue to talk about the book, you may relax - I am not spoiling anything.

The Steadfast One non-spoiler review

So, remember how I literally just mentioned I am from Brazil? Well, imagine my absolute joy when I found out that the main character, Marcia de Souza, hails from Fortaleza, Brazil.

Though Hannah does not speak the language, she pays complete respect to it and uses it perfectly. The slang is on point, the expressions are spot on, and even the way Marcia carries herself is very much on the nose. As someone who very rarely gets to see my country represented in anything I read, I felt beautifully represented in a genre I love, and I can never thank Hannah enough for that.

All the wonderful Brazilian touches aside, Hannah managed to take everything that makes a D&D campaign fun and truly embodies the chaos, the absolute immaturity that takes over, the comradery and friendships that bloom as you go through your campaign, the high ups and the devastatingly low moments, and stuffed it all into the pages of this book. It felt the same way Baldur's Gate 3 feels when played - it's an ode to the game.

And the spice. Let me just say that this is one of the most delicious, incredibly reluctant slow-burn I have read yet. It was absolutely delectable, even though the book only has a couple of hot and heavy, open-door scenes. The romance is written beautifully, as are the sad and tense moments in the story as well. I did shed a couple of tears, totally not expecting to. Hannah has a way of writing that can flip as if she had a switch - she balances out the silly and the serious so elegantly, it's kind of addictive. I really enjoyed the contrast between joy and tense, entertaining and sad. It was very nicely blended.

Needless to say, I highly, highly recommend this book. Pre-order it here.

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If you haven't yet, head on over to our Instagram page for giveaways, fun IG Live and interview videos, and more. A The Steadfast One giveaway will be announced soon.