BY Leia Weathington
If Siddhartha and Conan were boiled down and poured into a female mold, you’d have Bold Riley. The young princess-turned-adventurer sets out from her native kingdom restless to test fate and explore her primordial world. Behind every forest tree, under every jagged rock, in the bed of every young maiden, Bold Riley finds fantastical challenges and pleasures. And Riley most certainly enjoys her supple pleasures. Yet author Leia Weathington doesn’t belabor her protagonist’s sexuality beyond tantalizing her readers. Instead she writes from the perspective of an inhabitant of Riley’s own world, seemingly indifferent to sexual persuasion, and much more concerned with heroic conduct and benefitting the greater good. Fans of fantasy, manga, and adventure alike will enjoy the world of Bold Riley, as illustrated by seven different artists. However, the most likely reader to gain from these tales of courage, seduction, and morality are young adult readers, since Riley’s story is ultimately one of personal growth and the broadening of mind while the young heroine grows into a powerful and wise woman. Northwest Press (northwestpress.com). —Review: Chip Babbin
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