MAYBE A REREAD?

Excellent fantasy story. There are several cute moments, but the characters' background story/shared past makes it melancholic, sad, bittersweet, and tragic. Solid plot and worldbuilding, well-written and engaging characters - even the antagonist is amazingly written, he's really intimidating and powerful. There are cute moments, there's melancholy and tragedy, but the ending is very happy. Only problem: could have been a bit longer, the ending is rushed and there are no side stories.