Acquired Book By: I started hosting blog tours with The Write Reads in 2020 and prior to hosting with Dave (who runs the tours and has built an incredible community of the socially bookish behind it) I was following their feeds via Twitter. I took an unexpected hiatus from hosting their tours until Summer, 2024 wherein I reconnected with Dave and started to get back into the tours as they were available to join. I love finding new Independent publishers as much as I love finding new niches of fiction and Non-Fiction alike in which to absorb a story or style of narrative I haven’t yet come across and through hosting for The Write Reads I am finding my journey of discovery is regularly heightened to travel into new spheres of where story can take us all.
I received a complimentary copy of “Buddy and the Queen of Sorrow” from the author Peter David in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why this particular story impressed me and why I wanted to read it:
I was particularly attached to my stuffies growing up as I believe most children are as they find the comfort and friendship in stuffed animals. I had such a wide variety of stuffies, too, including my teddies – each of them were their own unique personality and had their own distinctive names, too. I still have most of them today – though, sadly, not exactly with me as their packed away. Whilst deciding how to feature the novel socially for the blog tour – I took inspiration by other book bloggers who were showcasing the book alongside their own teddies. And, mine will reflect a new addition to my shelves as well as a few friends who also give me loads of smiles by being present in my readerly life.
The concept of the story is what truly gave me courage to read the novel as I was quite intrigued by how the author set the tone and the narrative to begin. I also knew that he might be mistaken quite a lot for the ‘other’ Peter David of whom I had the pleasure of meeting once at a Trek convention and one of who wrote some of my favourite stories in the world of Trek. I was also wicked happy to find a #newtomeauthor of Middle Grade Fantasy as that is one of my focuses whenever I am seeking out new Fantasy novels to read.
In fact, I try to hone in on new voices in both Middle Grade and Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. I have quite a few I’m reading at the moment – leftover from last year when my work hours went bonkers and time elapsed off the clock before I could fully tuck into the stories. Those will be featured in the coming weeks as March starts to arrive and I’m able to finally settle into the novels I received at the close of (2024).
I wasn’t sure what I would find within the pages of Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow but as I started to read this story, I found it quite wondrous indeed! It is as if David was able to peel back the layers of time and entreat us all a reprised visitation to our own childhood wherein toys and stuffies and teddies occupied our hours with endless imagined play and the curious adventures we took them as we lived our lives. It is a testament to the joy of being a child whilst firmly still embracing the innocence of childhood as an adult, too. It has poetry and lyrical prose as much as it has heartwarming sequences of brave courage. There is a bit of everything in this novel but what leaves you the most JOY of all is having taken the journey David envisioned us all to undertake. And, that is the best blessing of all, truly.
I found a particularly wicked good interview with Peter David about this novel, too!
Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow
by Peter David
Source: Author via The Write Reads
Buddy is no ordinary teddy bear.
He’s a Knight, crafted by The Nameless Wizard himself, and sworn to protect his Person, 10-year old Mieya, from all the Things-That-Go-Bump-In-The-Night.
When Mieya is cursed into a magical sleep, it’s up to Buddy and his friends Esteban the Bard, Sasha the Warrior-Princess, and Copper the Butterfly to journey across The Realm-Under-The-Bed and find the one responsible.
But this is no ordinary Quest. The Realm is a dangerous place, filled with jungles, deserts, lightning storms, and Monsters. But worst of all is The Queen of Sorrow who waits for them in her dark castle in the crags. To break her curse, Buddy will need more than his skill with a blade, Esteban’s witty songs, or Sasha’s ferocious might.
He’ll need Heart.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 979-8227115102
Published by Self Published
on 30th August, 2024
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 168
About Peter David
A native son of Massachusetts, Peter has been living in the Deep South for over 25 years. By day, he’s an insurance professional, saving the world one policy at a time. But at night, well, no one really wants to see him fighting crime in his Spider-Man onesie.
Instead, Peter develops new worlds of adventure influenced by his love of science fiction, mysteries, music and fantasy. Whether it’s running role-playing games for his long-time friends, watching his beloved New England sporting teams vie for another championship, or just chilling with a movie, his wife, two boys, one puppy and three cats, Peter’s imagination is always on the move. It’s the reason why his stories are an eclectic blend of intrigue, excitement, humor and magic, drawn from four decade’s worth of television, film, novels and comic books.
My review of “Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow”:
The opening sequence for Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow is quite action packed and full of peril – especially for Buddy, whose quite vulnerable to injury! We first find Buddy’s charge Mieya fully asleep and without the knowledge of what is happening round her – wherein, Buddy pursues a vengeful enemy who wants to do nothing but harm. In their fight, Buddy takes on several injuries and feels justice was served when he conquered the battle they pursued until he realised that all was for naught. Mieya was still in danger and old magic was responsible for it, too. This is where the story turnt an interesting corner – as David has a lovely way of introducing you to the characters who are important to the story and then, of course, alights us directly into his world-building.
Buddy has a good friend in Esteban who is a Bard and loves to sing with his mandolin. Though, in truth, Esteban has secrets of his own and yet, he chooses to undertake the journey with Buddy to free Mieya. Buddy is one incredibly brave bear – despite his scars of battle, he has an earnest heart and a courageous spirit. He sees the good in people and believes in his self-worth. As he chose to undertake the Quest given to him by the Oracle (which was cleverly an owl) which would take him past the brink of where it is safe for him to tread – you could tell, this Quest was a challenge and not one easy to accept. Except to say, Buddy was above all else a guardian and a companion to Mieya and it was her who inspired him to go into unknown realms.
Hidden under the bed was a portal lying in wait for those to enter it. It was there where we first saw Buddy and Esteban disappear into the world just beyond our own. Part of the magic of this Quest are the magical threads Buddy is following to seek the answers of what has caused the Rune magic to entrap his person, Mieya. It reminded me of the light and threads of souls – as seen and used in other stories, too. David enlisted the artfulness of Rune magic – wherein, it isn’t just a thread of light Buddy is following but there was an engraved Rune symbol over Mieya which held a sinister purpose of its own.
It was only after Buddy and Esteban emerged into the Realm-Under-The-Bed did the true adventure start to begin! Part of the initial moments of their adventure in that realm reminded me a bit of The Neverending Story. Where you have this grey world – darkened by unseen forces and where dangers lurk in shadows. They had to use their courage and their wits to get through the ‘gates’ along their journey. These were not physical gates but more akin to psychological ones – wherein, they had to walk through lands of adverse conditions to find themselves closer to their destination. It was there where David illuminated how important it is to take those journeys in life and how brave you must become as you do. I especially was keen on how he portrayed the forest and how it turnt into a labyrinth of unforgiving twists and turns.
By the time Sasha entered the picture, we were ready for a new travelling companion on this Quest. One of whom could share a bit of light on this realm and a bit more insight into the fear(s) which accompany the realm too. Sasha might be a fierce cat but even she has her limitations, and her conscience is aware of the dangers which are not always keenly visible. The comedic moment arrived with Buck and it was a delight to find a sentient ship in this world, too! I love sentient ships but they aren’t always present in the stories I am reading. This particular ship had wicked humour and a healthy dose of calming influence on the ragtag team of Questers.
One of my favourite sequences involved the Clockmaster in the Bazaar of the Bizarre which was in The Center of All Things – as all the locations in this world have a cheeky glint of joy about them. This was a place though where time could still long enough for you to lose your senses and just short enough not to shortchange your journey. It was here where they met an adversary who was several steps ahead of them like Moriarty. (ie. think Holmes) It was also where we met Copper – a Clockpunkified butterfly whose heart was stronger than the restrictions of its wings. Copper joined them on their Quest but before that could happen a wicked escape from the hands of the Clockmaster had to ensue and that is what became my favouite scene! It showed the depth of David’s vision of this world and also, how he took elements from other tales and infused them into his own with such resounding clarity of thought and development!
Each furlough of the Quest brought new adversities and challenges for the quartet of Heroes to overcome and none more intriguing than the ways in which David inserted his Sirens! I haven’t read a lot of stories involving Sirens but this particular passage of the novel gives one pause and time to consider the overall issue with the Sirens, too. For theirs was a hard-luck life which turnt out to have a darker ending for them. David doesn’t pull away from harder topics and subjects in this story even if he doesn’t overly address them, but he gives enough clues towards them all the same. As the Sirens suffered the most from abandonment and being discarded on behalf of their Persons. As this story very much was writ in the vein of thought of Toy Story in that one respect of how toys thrive on the love and admiration of their People. They are chosen by their Person to be in their lives and by the interactions of their People they find wonderous adventures and memories. That is very inclusive of this story too but also the darker sides of what befalls a toy who is castaway from its Person, too.
I was not quite prepared for the scenes which involved the Queen of Sorrow! David took me on such a wondrous journey of the imagination, and I was right there with him the whole way! Yet, when it came down to the showdown with the Queen – part of me was uncertain if I were truly ready to face her myself! I knew she was cruel and mean spirited, but the wrath of her dark energy was a bit much for me! I held my breath awaiting the ending and even before the end came – I thought back upon the story up until that point and knew David would end this one on a note of thoughtful repose. He had given us such a layered story of bravery and action and friendship that I knew the ending would own up to the rest of the story thus far revealled but evenso, I hesitated to finish it!
With a heap of emotions swirling inside of me, I concluded this beautiful novel by Peter David and was quite wicked grateful to be part of the blog tour to celebrate it! David truly wrote a novel that a lot of us as children wished had existed. He endeavoured to bridge the gap between imaginary play and the reality of the lives of our companions – toys, stuffies and teddies and the dolls who lived amongst silently in the background of our childhood. They were the ready friends we turnt to and took with us no matter how far we travelled from home, too. Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow is a wicked wonderful fantastical celebration of childhood and the joy of having a stuffed companion as our beloved friend beside us.
On the writing styling of Peter David:
I was charmed truly by how David approached writing the character of Buddy. He is the epitome of a child’s teddy bear and companion – whilst David also describes him as a child might think about him, too. Complete with mentioning that once wounded he lost stuffing and how that loss affected how he could walk on his leg! It was quite ingenious and also kept the story within the tone you’d hope to find in a Middle Grade Fantasy. I loved the pacing of the story especially in the beginning – as we start off in the bedroom and get to see the room through the eyes of Buddy and his good friend Esteban. It is a larger space than it appears given their short stature and smaller legs to traverse it whilst at the same time, it encompasses all the toys who are truly their own sentient beings and who enjoy being in residence with a child who loves them.
It was heartwarming to see how the Oracle and the Witch came together to help embolden Buddy on his Quest – to give him guidance and encouragement before he had to undertake the impossible. David has a lot of lovely ways in which he has knit this world together for the reader. With just enough darkness to make it believable but not overly so to move this out of Middle Grade and into Young Adult as oft-times can become the case.
Especially as throughout the story itself – David continues to pull us into his vision of this world. A world where toys and stuffed animals live such extraordinary lives and sometimes, their lives are put into dangerous situations. A credit to David for maintaining his incredible depth of world-building – as even as the quartet of heroes undertook their journey to the Queen of Sorrow – whilst facing Sirens of all things – even then, David kept us enthralled by how dark a life of a toy could become if they were cast aside and succumbed to the Darkness they found. A lot of his story is about Light vs Dark and how Light yields to Hope and how without Hope our lives would be unmoored. He has such a welcoming message in his novel, and I was thankful to have discovered his story.
I was keenly taken by the poetic verses and the back-histories knitted into the flashback sequences – wherein, we learnt about how Buddy and Aura were first paired and how we were given more insight into the Nameless Wizard who had first set Buddy off into the world to protect those who needed protecting. There was a lot of thought put into how this world was built and unravelling the layers was part of the beauty of reading this story.
There were several special passages of phrases and words which spoke to me in the novel however of all of them – the one which struck a chord within me was when David talked about imagination and inspiration and how the mind and heart must be harmoniously aligned in order to create. There are no truer words to share about the artfulness of creativity and the desires in which to create something out the ethos which was not yet seen or known until it was created by the artist. This of course includes the words painted into a world by the storycrafter who pens the stories we love to read, too. David put so much thoughtfulness of prose into his story. I would imagine younger readers especially would love finding those moments of enlightenment an uplift of possibilities and for older readers like me a kind reminder of what life can yield if we remember never to put limitations on ourselves.
I would love to see this spun into a series – either an on-going on or a duology, trilogy or quartet. I especially echo other book bloggers on this blog tour who were keenly curious about The Nameless Wizard and to see if we could learn more about him. Either his origin story or perhaps, his life behind the lives of these dear characters who meant the world to us as we read about them. I truly applaud the ways in which the story was written as Peter David found a beautiful way to capture the beauty of life – not just from the standpoint of living with heart but the greater gift of love and memory. He truly is a writer to keep an eye on for future stories – especially I hope there will be more within the Middle Grade Fantasy arena as he excels at this one quite brilliantly!
Seeking the Fantastical:
→ A Teddy Bear who’s a Knight
→ Old Magic and Rune Magic
→ Magical Swords
→ Portals to Hidden Worlds
→ Nameless Wizards
→ Sentient Swords
→ Sentient Ships
→ Golems, Sirens, and other fantastical creatures
The cover art on this novel rings true in such clever ways as well! I love a well-illustrated novel in respect to cover art design as it allows you the JOY of seeing the characters you’re reading about with full accuracy. Buddy is so well-drawn on the cover – he just comes alive from the pages! You knew about what he carried with him by the beauty of how David etched out his character but to recognise him and to see him as David himself envisioned him was quite the treat. The same rung true for Esteban, Sasha and Cooper, too.
There is such a heap of lovely fantastical elements to this story! From the myriad of choice in respect to magical, mythical and fantastical creatures and characters to the world-building itself and the magic therein. David has rounded out this novel with a lot of wicked fantastical moments for the discerning reader to appreciate it finding within it. It is part Portal Fantasy and part Quest Fantasy with a wonderful message for kids and adults alike. There is also a layer of old magic and intrinsic magic as well. I can’t say more as it would spoilt the discoveries inside the novel but just know, if you love Fantasy, this story will entreat you to all kinds of wonderful things!
This book review is courtesy of the blog tour by The Write Reads:
Be sure to keep a ready eye out for announcements for our (2025) #WyrdAndWonder!
Until then, know that I am spending the year seeking out more wicked Fantasy to read – both in novel length and shorter fiction. Whilst finding newfound balance between reading those stories in print and listening to them in audiobook! What a wicked fantastical year 2025 will be!
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow”, book synopsis, author biography and photo were provided by The Write Reads and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow collage graphic created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: ©jorielovesastory.com, #EnterTheFantastic banner, #WyrdAndWonder Wednesday banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2025.
Oh my, that is one gorgeous and seriously adorable cover!
Thanks for visiting with me Louise!
I was wicked happy the cover art illustration reflected the characters in the story so very well! It was a true delight of JOY to see them so wonderfully represented. The details are brilliant! And, the story has a way of touching your heart, too, in such a surprisingly uplifting way despite the heavier emotions you feel as you read it. I am hopeful this is one of a series and not just a one off!