The Locksmith is a young adult Historical Fantasy romance novel published by Barbara Howe in May, 2017.
Lucinda Guillierre isn’t entirely certain what she wants but she knows how she’s going to get it, walking the challenge path and asking a boon of the Fire Warlock. Over the course of her year of service she learns to Be Careful What You Wish For as she gets her books, romance, and adventure; and quickly realizes that she got too much of that last one
[The Locksmith] contains examples of:
- Badass Bookworm: most of the main cast, having at least Minored in Ass-Kicking and are all well read.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: comes up multiple times, starting with a wish for adventure getting the protagonist in to hazardous situations, and latter a wish that ‘a wizard who knows and appreciates what I am would show me he loves me. I’d even cut off my hair for that’ does amongst other things cost Lucinda her hair.
- Elemental Powers: all of magic is divided into the the four elements, and a magic user will often be referred to by which elemental affinity they have.
- Gentleman and a Scholar: Jean Rehsavvy isn’t nobility, but his supply of learning and manners qualifies him for this trope.
- Meaningful Name: lots of examples. Jean Rehsavvy, pronounced John re savy aka Genre Savvy; Bjorn, whose looks do reflect him being named bear.
- Minored in Ass-Kicking: Given the role of the fire guild in the country; everyone Lucinda meets in the guild is at least this
- Position of Literal Power: The office holders gain a fair amount of magical power along with their positions.
- Plucky Girl: The main character.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: the warlock tries to be, and often succeeds despite the forces weighing on him.
- The Three Trials: the challenge path which gives the questor a chance to ask for help from the warlock.
- Wham Line: More than one, the first sitting around the midpoint of the book, said by the current warlock "I want you to help me break the office of the fire warlock.". Another sitting later in the book re-contextualizes the ancient history around the great coven with the reveal that the first locksmith was a woman that had loved the first warlock, and that it was her rage at being spurned his afection, not coveting his title, that had created the schism in the great coven.
