Bones in the Dark: Chartered Mage

Bones in the Dark, Book 1

By: TF Warden

Narrated by: Hannah Trusty

Ester Mazar wants nothing more than to serve Her Eternal Majesty and the Empire; the greatest nation to have ever existed.

As a commonborn graduate of the Academy, she must work off her debt to the Throne. Armed with the best magical education the Empire can provide and finally permitted to wear the crossed lightning bolts of a Chartered Mage, Ester is sent far from the bright lights of the capital to Vass Karan. A city so riddled with corruption and crime that even she has heard whispers of it.

There, Ester will learn that the world is not quite as black and white as in the books. Nevertheless, she is determined to overcome prejudice, scepticism and murderous criminals to become the hero she needs to be.

©2026 TF Warden (P)2026 Royal Guard Publishing LLC

A Promising Debut Featuring an Entertaining Protagonist

A mage in a man's world, Ester Mazar immediately makes a strong impression from the very first chapter. A newly minted "chartered mage," an officially trained imperial mage with a debt of seven years time owed to the throne for her tuition, Ester is alternatingly zealous and compassionate, naive and observant, and above all else, eager to prove herself.

TFWarden has assembled a believably complex world for his ambitious protagonist to play in, with shades of grey filling the spaces between the blatant propaganda and the unmistakable threats bubbling up from the sewers and vaults buried under the city of Vas Karan.

Hopefully, the sequel, when it is completed, will also be picked up and put on Audible. Until then, I recommend Chartered Mage for anyone interested in a smart fantasy featuring a clever, if still youthful, female protagonist.

In-depth and plot driven Progression Fantasy

Female gaze Progression Fantasy with tight plotting, strong to stronger power scale. No constant drastic increases, but steady slow burn growth. The many POVs are more typical in epic fantasy. I believe they add a lot of depth to the world-building and sound meaningfully distinct.