Wanted

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first—*another* fantasy romance with an elf and a dwarf? But *Wanted* flips the script by making the romance the *least* interesting thing about it. (And that’s a compliment.) Matti and Sarrlevi’s dynamic is less ‘will they, won’t they’ and more ‘how many laws can they break before breakfast,’ and it’s *glorious*. The story clips along at a heist-movie pace, with Buroker’s knack for escalating chaos—think a prison break, a dragon who’s *technically* a lawyer, and a magic hammer that’s basically a cheat code. The only time the momentum stumbles is in the middle act, where a subplot about dwarven politics feels like a detour in a racecar. I found myself fast-forwarding through the clan drama to get back to the good stuff: Matti threatening people with her hammer. Leheny’s narration is a masterclass in character distinction—her Sarrlevi is so deliciously smug you’ll want to slap him, and her Matti sounds like she could bench-press a troll. The production is crisp, though a few lines of dialogue get lost in the mix when the action peaks (a minor gripe, but noticeable in fight scenes). What really won me over? The humor isn’t just quips; it’s *built into the world*. A scene where Matti and Sarrlevi argue over whether ‘borrowing’ a royal carriage counts as theft had me laughing out loud on my commute. If you love fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still delivers sharp writing and heart, this is your next listen. Just don’t blame me if you start eyeing hammers at the hardware store afterward.