Tanya has worked at her tavern since she was able to see over the bar. She broke up her first fight at 11. By the time she was a teenager she knew everything about the place, and she could run it with her eyes closed. She’d never let anyone—whether it be a drunkard or a captain of the queen’s guard—take advantage of her. But when her guardian dies, she might lose it all: the bar, her home, her purpose in life. So she heads out on a quest to petition the queen to keep the tavern in her name—dodging unscrupulous guards, a band of thieves, and a powerful, enchanted feather that seems drawn to her. Fast-paced, magical, and unapologetically feminist, Wench is epic fantasy like you’ve never seen it before.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the chance to read this inspiring tale of a seemingly insignificant character that is usually overlooked in the lore of most RPG settings. The trope of the tavern wench is one as old as fantasy itself. I am in my very first Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and in the year that we’ve been playing, we’ve met one such woman, Tappy, whom my playable character vehemently hates. All of her personality, tenacity, and confidence is the product of our Dungeon Master, who was only given a 1-2 sentence description of the gnomish woman. It’s actually kind of amazing how woven she is into the plot of our story, and yet for the time being, we have left her in the city we found her to search for freedom. Tappy’s case is not unique. These buxom ladies with even broader skills and drive literally serve their entire community, but are hardly ever the focus of an adventure. Maxine gives us Tanya, who could have easily had the same fate, but instead takes us on a wild journey of self discovery and adventure with our long-suffering ‘wench’ at the helm.

Tanya has worked and lived at The Smiling Snake for as long as she can remember. She was orphaned by her parents and taken in by the proprietor of the tavern, Froud. When he succumbs to old age, Tanya is sure that she will take over the tavern and continue her life as normal. What she doesn’t count on is a band of the Queen’s corpsmen taking control of it instead, telling her that she has no formal right to it as she was no true relation to her guardian. This sets Tanya into motion. What starts as a quest to regain control of her beloved tavern turns into something far beyond what she could have ever imagined. She takes off with the corpsmen, who are loathe to take her seriously. It’s not until a thief barges into their midst, taking off with a magical quill, do things start to fall together for Tanya. Her connections deepen with guards, criminals, witches, and even the Queen herself– and through it all she is left asking herself what she truly wants in life. Is it just control of the tavern? Or does she want the magic that she has started to unlock within herself? What comes together by the end of the novel is some sort of a happy medium, and we truly see that even if we don’t get what we want sometimes… we do end up getting what we need.

Something I really enjoyed about this novel is Tanya’s struggle to fit in and feel useful. That’s a feeling I think a lot of us can relate to; wanting people to realize just how talented and irreplaceable we are so that we aren’t forgotten or left behind. Tanya spent most of her life serving others, and she is very good at what she does, be it cleaning, or cooking, or diffusing tense situations– all this and more lends itself to her fitting in anywhere she goes. However, her hotheaded and outspoken nature gives new depth to her chosen life of servitude as she is undeniably born to lead. She is truly a captivating protagonist, and her budding relationships (as friends or otherwise) with the people she meets along her travels hits home as she learns that maybe not everyone is going to want something from you. It’s possible that some people will just like you for you. At its core, this book is a love letter to all the women finding their place in the world that is only trying to hold them down. Tanya’s strength and perseverance is refreshing to see, and I hope to carry some of it with me in my day to day life. We are all so much more than the titles we’re given. Thank you, Maxine, for reminding us.

5/5 stars