Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite

The Baron’s Ward is a short story written by Isabella Berdyna Zysk. Eighteen-year-old Eustacia Rose travels to Galeva to visit her relative, the Baron of Galeva, whom she hasn’t seen in years. She wonders why he hadn’t replied to the letters she wrote while attending convent school. The baron’s scribe, Master Alfred, escorts Eustacia Rose to her cousin who moved to his country estate. The baron believes she’s ungrateful for not communicating with him either. Alfred believes someone deliberately caused a rift between the cousins and is also stealing from the baron. Eustacia Rose stays to renew her kinship with the ailing baron while thinking of her future. Alfred decides to find the culprit and is surprised when other illicit activities occur.

I found The Baron’s Ward a wonderful adventure. It’s about a young woman who was cheerful, humble, caring to others, while experiencing mild prejudice because she looked different from the people she encountered. Alfred is also another main character with admirable traits. Isabella Berdyna Zysk’s casual writing style is what made this medieval story more unique to me. This is what I noticed when I began reading and it fits the light-hearted theme. I like the way the author wrote about Eustacia Rose’s ancestry in the latter part of the story. There are a few character illustrations throughout the book and the cover illustration of Eustacia Rose is lovely. The Baron’s Ward by Isabella Berdyna Zysk is a story I will always remember and one I recommend reading.